Tree Hugger
by 123HSMluver
Summary: Gabriella is given a situation that she isn't too fond of. She tries to stop the event from happening while Troy tries to get her to give up. They get caught up in memories and remember the old times before reaching a decision. ONE SHOT!


"Gabs you have to move."

"No! I refuse to!"

"Brie…"

"Don't you _dare_ use those puppy dog eyes on me Troy Bolton!"

Gabriella glared at her husband and crossed her arms in determination. Troy sighed and put his face in his hands for a minute. Gabriella felt guilty but refused to move from her position in front of the tree in her backyard.

"Whether you like it or not, Gab, they're going to tear that tree down. You won't stop them. You're just one person."

"So join me, that'll make two people" She replied.

"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" He asked, a bit frustrated.

Gabriella just shook her head and smiled down at her feet as if she knew some secret that he didn't. Troy raised an eyebrow and took a few steps closer to her in an attempt to see her expression.

"Why is it so important?" He repeated, watching her carefully. Gabriella blushed and turned her back to him, tracing patterns into the bark. Troy wrapped his arms around her from behind and she let him pull her to him. "What do you know that I don't?"

Gabriella turned around in his hold and smiled up at him.

"How could you have forgotten?" She accused playfully. "This is how you used to get into my room at night when we were in high school."

Troy laughed as he remembered the countless times he had climbed through the branches in order to see her after he was supposed to have gone home.

"Of course I remember, I just don't see why it's important. I mean we're all grown up now and living on our own." He reminded her.

"It's still important. It's part of our history. How would you like if it they tore up the basketball court at your house?"

"They did, actually." Troy recalled.

Gabriella shoved him and rolled her eyes.

"Stop being difficult." She growled. "You _know_ what I mean."

Troy winked at her and kissed the top of her head.

"I know, I was kidding, Brie. I get that you're upset that it's getting taken away but we still have the memories. They'll never fade as long as we keep them alive. Come on please?"

He tried the puppy dog eyes again but Gabriella just shoved at him and began to climb the tree. She moved nimbly through the branches and once she was level to her old bedroom she sat down on one of the branches and grinned down at Troy.

"And you said that the climb was hard." She accused, not even out of breath.

"Hey! You try climbing that thing in a thunder storm with tornado force winds!" Troy yelled up to her, starting to climb up to her.

Gabriella laughed and swung her legs.

"I think you need to check your memory, Troy."

_______Flashback_______

"_Be careful on the roads mom!" Gabriella called out as her mother pulled on her shoes._

_Maria Montez smiled and waved to her daughter who was in the kitchen baking cookies._

"_I will. And just stay in the house for the night-it's getting nasty out there. If you get hungry there's money for pizza on the counter."_

"_I am perfectly able to cook for myself mom, you know that." Gabriella replied with a giggle._

"_True, but isn't that boyfriend of yours coming over tonight? He eats like he's never eaten a thing in his life." Maria reminded Gabriella._

_Gabriella laughed and nodded._

"_You make a good point. I'll tell Troy that he can order himself a pizza when he gets here."_

"_Good plan. Now remember to keep the doors locked and-"_

"_Check in every few hours, I know mom." Gabriella finished with an eye roll. "I'm eighteen, I know that by now."_

"_Sorry Ella, it's habit. And make sure you have fun."_

"_I will mom. You have fun at your work party too. And say hi to Joanne for me! And tell her thanks for the cookie recipe."_

"_I will. And I should be home at around midnight but that's only a rough estimate."_

_"Just relax and have fun, mom. I'll be fine."_

_"Thanks, El."_

_Gabriella went to give her mom a hug and then waved from the window as she pulled out of the driveway. Once she was out of sight Gabriella went back into the kitchen, turned on the radio, and returned to baking her cookies._

_After she had put the dough into the oven Gabriella washed her hands and had just settled down in her room with a good thick book when her cell phone rang. Gabriella groaned and got up to answer it._

_"Hello?"_

_"Hey beautiful! How is my favourite girl in the whole world?"_

_"Hi Troy. A little annoyed actually. Since I had just settled down to read when __somebody__ had to call." Gabriella replied with a laugh to show him she was kidding._

_"I have great timing." Troy replied. _

_Gabriella could almost see the smirk of triumph on his face._

_"So anyway, what time can I come over?" He continued. _

_"Anytime, it doesn't matter. My mom left for her party about a half an hour ago so anytime is good."_

_"Alright I'll leave now, so I should be there in a few minutes."_

_"I'll be waiting, and take your time Troy. The weather doesn't look very friendly out there." Gabriella warned._

_"Right on. See you in a few, Brie. Love you!"_

_"Love you too, Troy."_

_Gabriella hung up the phone and smiled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief at his ability to make her smile even when he wasn't in the room. She sat back down on her bed and picked up her book again but the beeping of the oven kept her from opening the front cover._

_Gabriella sighed and dropped the book onto her bed, rushing through the house to the kitchen and turning off the timer. She pulled the cookie sheet from the oven and then set it on a cooling rack on the counter. _

_Since everything kept interrupting her she didn't bother to start her book again, instead she puttered around her room and picked up stray pencils and papers from her desk. She leafed through her papers and threw out what she didn't need, putting what she did into her folder on one of her shelves._

_Gabriella jumped and yelped and she heard a bang from just below her balcony outside her room. Trembling, she crept over to the door and opened it cautiously. The wind ripped the door form her grasp and Gabriela jumped again as it hit her desk with a loud bang._

_"Troy? Is that you?" She called out, shivering slightly at the temperature of the rain pelting her in the face._

_"Yeah it's-WHOAH!"_

_Gabriella gasped as she heard another bang and she hurried over to the railing on her balcony to see Troy lying on the wet grass, leaves littered all over his body._

_"Are you okay?" She called down to him._

_"Yeah, I'm fine." Troy said, climbing to his feet and grinning up at her._

_"Do you just want to come through the door? You're going to hurt yourself." Gabriella suggested, worried about what would happen if he fell again._

_"Naaa, I'm a man, I can do it." Troy replied._

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and then waited anxiously as she lost sight of him. She saw that branches waving at her and then winced as she heard him yelp. _

_"Troy?" She called out. "Just use the door."_

_"I'm almost there."_

_His voice sounded closer and Gabriella sighed in relief as he grabbed the side of the railing. His head appeared and Gabriella stepped back as he swung himself over the rail. _

_"Troy you are insane for doing that in this weather." Gabriella scolded, leading the way back into the house. Troy pouted._

_"I'm cold." He complained. Gabriella laughed and stood up on tiptoes to lightly kiss him._

_"Come on, I'll spoil you with pizza and cookies." She said with a smile._

_"Oooh! Pizza?! Where?"_

________End Of Flashback________

"The wind was strong! And I was wearing the wrong type of shoes for that kind of thing." Troy said, pouting.

"The wrong type of shoes? Oh _puhlease_ Troy. That's pathetic." Gabriella said with a laugh, moving over as he reached her and sat down on the branch beside her.

They were silent for a few minutes as they each got lost in memories. Gabriella reached over and entwined her fingers with Troy's, sighing quietly.

"I still wish I could save it." She mumbled quietly.

"I know, Brie." Troy replied stroking her hair. "But it has to come down, it's too big and it could damage the house if it happens to fall that way."

"I guess you're right." She said, admitting defeat.

Gabriella reached out with her free hand and patted the trunk of the tree.

"But I'll miss it."

"As will I. But we still have each other." He reminded her. Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"I know. Love you Troy."

Troy kissed her sweetly and pulled her close to him.

"I love you too, Gabi, even if you are a tree hugger."

**AN: Okay so that wasn't too bad? I'll hopefully be posting a new fanfic soon but I need ideas! If anyone has anything they want to see written please let me know! Thanks for reading and please review!**


End file.
